Member

Amendment 286A offers us an alternative approach, where only those who take purposeful actions to conceal abuse, specifically with the intention of doing so, would be criminalised. This is a proportionate threshold for criminalisation, where those guilty of concealing this insidious crime are rightfully prosecuted, and those who just fail to report abuse, whether that be due to lack of knowledge or some other motivation, receive appropriate professional and civil sanctions. This duty should empower our child protection system to better combat child sexual abuse, and I believe that Amendment 286A strikes the right balance in enabling us to do just that. I encourage the Government to accept it.